How much does the information provided with a product influence how feel about the product?
Case in point: I recently received samples of a new Japanese facial cleanser, Hanayuki Hada Facial Rolling Gel, to try. The package is absolutely gorgeous but all the information printed on it (except for the usage instructions) is entirely in Japanese. So when I gave it to a couple of English speaking friends they could read how to use the product but they had no context of how it was different or what it was supposed to do. All they knew was it was a “facial cleanser.”
From my research I knew that this formula was very different than typical cleansers. There are no detergents to make it foam up. Instead it uses a polymer solution. But I didn’t tell any of this to my unknowing product evaluators. So, how would two different people feel about this product without the context and explanation of what it was?
Person A said:
“The pump doesn’t dispense enough, I had to pump and pump to get enough out. It feels gooey in the hand and it doesn’t foam. It feels heavy on application, it’s hard to distribute, and it’s not light. When I rinse my face doesn’t really feel clean, feels like there’s a layer of residual stuff on my face.”
Person B said:
“When I rubbed the product onto my skin it definitely felt like it was removing impurities. It felt like a typical thick facial gel when I applied it. When i started doing the recommended circles/balling it felt like I was peeling Elmer’s glue off my face (or peeling off skin after a sunburn). It did not hurt – just felt the pulling. The “balls” felt like a typical exfoliant in a body wash-felt the grains but it did not hurt. It was difficult to remove the product at the jawline and hairline . That said, my skin feels soft to the touch, yet clean (some tightness a few minutes after removal but not overly tight). The finger I used to apply the product has a silky feel even after washing it.”
So, one person thought their face “doesn’t really feel clean” while the other thought “skin feels soft.” I wonder if they have thought differently about it with more context? In other words if the product was identified as an “non-foaming cleanser” would it have been better received by person number A? Or if it had been described as a “deep moisturizing cleanser” would she have liked the residual feel better?
It’s easy to forget sometimes but all of our beauty product experience is the result of a combination of the actual product and what we are told about the product. Rarely do we use a product in an informational vacuum.
What do you think? Have you ever used a product that surprised you because you didn’t know very it much about it?
Even though the Beauty Brains don’t do traditional reviews, from time to time we like to share new products that we’re trying. We want you to know that we received free samples in exchange for a mention on our blog and that we’re not necessarily recommending you buy anything. We’re just sharing new product news; please do your own research before you buy.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I can read Japanese and I also have a bottle of the product. According to the labelling in Japanese, the product is a facial exfoliator not a facial cleanser. The printed direction in Japanese says to apply 3-5 pumps after cleansing skin with face wash.
@Haruka: Thanks for the translation clarification. I’m still curious about the impact of context though.
Personally, I feel it’s quite important. It would be quite unfair to fault a product for failing to do something that it never claimed to do… or if the user is not using it the way it is intended. Take this product for example,
it’s a moot point whether it moisturizes or cleanses skin well when it is an exfoliator that claims to do neither.
I don´t see the point of this either.
To add,these kind of exfoliators are meant to be used on *dry,freshly cleaned and gently patted dry*skin.
Then they work exellent(Cure Natural and Meishoku DetClear Gel are two popular exfoliants of this type)
Massage therapist here. It’s likely a “gommage” — which means you apply the product, wait for it to dry, then roll it off the skin in a circular motion – not unlike rolling glue off your hand when you’re a kid. The idea is that it loosens the bonds of dead skin cells and then you remove the top layer when you roll it off.
“Rolling Gel” was enough for me to assume “gommage” and hearing other’s experience that the gel didn’t foam and “felt thick” made me feel more confident about that assumption.
That said, I’m a massage therapist who has a long, extensive background in spas and have used gommages before in the past for full body exfoliations.
@Emani: I’m sorry if I didn’t do a good job of explaining my point. The exact nature of the product is kind of irrelevant. What I was trying to say was that I was intrigued by how our perception of what a product does (and how it feels) is affected by what we’re told about that product before we use it.
I agree with Haruka, it would be unfair to judge a product if you didn’t know what it claimed to do.
Great product! I have using it for the 5 years and really like it. It works great, amazing effect to remove old (dead) cells from the skin. After gel skin is smooth and feels like a baby’s. 100% works!!!
“How much does the information provided with a product influence how feel about the product?” It influences us a great deal, especially if the product is used incorrectly because of a lack of information! It sounds to me as if you did not identify to the two users what the product was, and for that I must say, “Shame on you!” All they needed was the product classification and clear directions on the proper usage to base opinions on, and you failed to provide that, rendering your own question useless!
My daughter and I would love to try it, but at $50.00 a bottle, it isn’t going to happen. Can someone suggest a similar product that is less spendy?